Donita said that her father-in-law remembered the house being delivered by train. She wrote, "My father-in-law remembers that everyone in town was so excited about its arrival. He talked about unloading the train and hauling things by wagon. Even the kids got in on helping by pulling their little wagons loaded with kegs of nails, etc. He did not live in the house until later. It was actually built by the town doctor (Dr. Cross)." Photo is copyright 2014 Donita Roben and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

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One of the things I love about the vintage image (shown above) is that it shows the Lewis Navarre from the same angle as the 1924 catalog picture!

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A close-up of the boys also provides some detail on the front porch. Check out those paneled columns. Photo is copyright 2014 Donita Roben and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

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Knowing what those columns look like, the readers of this blog should be able to spot a Lewis Navarre at 100 paces! Quite unique! (Image is from 1924 Lewis Homes Catalog.)

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The Navarre was a surprisingly spacious house with a full second floor. The house has four bedrooms and a bath on the second floor. Downstairs, it had a nice-size kitchen with a walk-in pantry and a mudroom.

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Donita also shared some pictures of the home's interior. The photo was taken in the dining room, facing into the living room. Note the fireplace on the left. Photo is copyright 2014 Donita Roben and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

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And it still has its original windows! Photo is copyright 2014 Donita Roben and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

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And she found some markings on the lumber Photo is copyright 2014 Donita Roben and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

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"You can see that the Navarre is remarkably well designed..." (1924).

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In her email to me, Donita wrote, "One of my best friends lived in this house and I used to walk home from school with her when we were in high school. I spent quite a bit of time at the house, and loved it even then." Photo is copyright 2014 Donita Roben and may not be used or reproduced without written permission.

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Thanks so much to Donita for sharing these photos! And thanks to Rachel for identifying this wonderful old house!

So reads the text in the 1920 Lewis Manufacturing catalog (shown below).

Lewis Manufacturing (based in Bay City), was one of the six national companies that sold kit homes through mail order catalogs. The San Fernando was one of their most popular homes. The houses of Lewis Manufacturing are typically found in the Midwest and in New England. Lewis had a sales office in Syracuse, NY so I’m certain there are many of these Lewis Homes in and around the Syracuse area.

Cover of the 1920 Lewis Homes catalog.

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The Lewis San Fernando was one of their most popular designs.

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Nice floor plan, too.

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This photo was taken in 2003. Hopefully this house has been repainted, because the purple really does not do it justice. That's my dear friend Dale Wolicki in the front yard.

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My buddy Dale and I love reading and learning (and writing!) about these old houses! Dale even managed to put himself into a 1920 Lewis Homes catalog!

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Ooh, and here's the info on the Lewis Office in Syracuse! This faded text appeared on the front page of this 1920 Lewis Homes catalog, which happens to have been a gift from Dale in 2003.